Record Number of Jews Blatantly Violate Psak Halacha and Ascend Har Habayis on Tisha B’Av

More than 1,000 Jews ascended Har Habayis Tuesday during the fast of Tisha B’Av, to commemorate the destruction of the Jewish temples that once existed at the holy site.

The Yeraeh organization, which encourages Jewish visitation and prayer rights at the Temple Mount, stated that 1,043 Jews visited the holy site from 7:30-11 a.m. local time Tuesday, a Har Habayis record for Jewish visits to the site in a single day.

Jewish visitors were obligated go through metal detectors and to leave their ID cards with police before ascending through the Mughrabi Gate—the only gate to the holy site that non-Muslims are permitted to enter.

Six people were removed from the area for violating rules imposed on non-Muslim visitors, while four people were arrested when fighting broke out between three Jewish visitors and a Muslim man while one of the Jewish groups exited through the Chain Gate.

I’m sorry, but your headline is symptomatic of why we are still fasting on tisha b’Av.

While there is agree that people I consider Gedolim and have given their opinions have universally prohibited going onto the Har HaBayis, there are Rabbonim who are universally considered frum who have permitted it. Before we start deciding whose psak is dispositive, we really need a Sanhedrin.

This is an illustration of how the Netziv explained sin’as chinum, which seems to contradict the fact that they were osek betorah. But they felt it wasn’t sin’as chinum. We are justified in hating them because they are resho’im. And why are they resho’im? Because they don’t follow the psak I follow.

And yes, if anyone asked me, I would posken that [under most circumstances] it would be assur.

“Blatantly Violate Psak Halacha and Ascend Har Habayis” – can’t figure out what’s worse: am horartsus or desire to judge other Jews. Were you out cutting school on the day your cheder rebbi was teaching about Beis Hamikdosh?! What possible isur is there if you go up Har Habais, but not into azora?! If you meant to imply that some Jews went into Azora while in the state of tuma, or, worse, into Kodesh Hakedoshim – say it directly, without creating your own halachos.

There is an issur to go on har habayis if one is tamei b’tuma hayotzei migufo and that is beside the issus most gedolim imposed after the six day war to prevent people going to far as at least according to some Rishonim there is no way to know exactly where the chail starts and tamei meis is assur inside the cheil. Just be careful calling others am haratzim when you don’t have the halacha clear.

There is no isur of entering the entire Har Habais betuma – there are different levels starting with cheil and progressing further to azora and kodesh hakedoshim. Saying that there is an issur to enter Har Habais – implies the entire har and not certain parts – and that is completely wrong and is either am horatzus or a deliberate perversion of halacha – halomeid batorah shelo kahalacha…ein lo chelek leolom habo, chas vesholom. Regarding tuma, the only contemporary tuma that is a real issue is tumas meis, as others are relatively easily remedied with a proper use of mikva. As a side point, certain korbonos are required to be brought betumas meis under certain conditions – and some rishonim would permit mizbeach without heichal – which means we could fulfill chiyuvei deoraisa of temidim and pesachim, brought betumas meis, by building just a mizbeach – right now, even before bias hamoshiach, according to certain explanations of some rishonim. Going back to Har Habais, if you have a sofeik where cheil starts, may be other Jews do have a messora of where one can go. Even if they also have a sofeik and still go up – what right do you have to call them blatant violators out of sofeik: now you are a sofeik self-righteous rasha as much as they are sofeik blatant violators.

Already many DLs are asking why fast on 9 Av if “Geula is already in process.”
Who, throughout the ages, ever dreamed that there could be a concept of Geula without Moshiach and teshuvah?
This is called “forcing the end” and “rebelling against the nations” for which the punishment is that Hashem is, chalilah, mafkir our flesh. We already saw it once 70 years ago – do we really need to learn the lesson again?
What do these misguided people think they are achieving?
Yes, we should protest, if only to reassert to ourselves that this is not the Torah way.

What a disgusting and malicious headline, posted on Tisha b’AV, no less!

“Violating Psak Halacha”?

Are these Jews not allowed to follow the Rabbonim who have ruled differently, among them, Rav Meir Mazuz of Bnei Brak (who is often quoted on Matzav!), Rav Yakov Meidan Of Har Etzion, and Rav Dov Lior of Chevron?